Traditional histories of Early Modern trade and trade networks have ignored a potent truth -- that trade, and the networks constructed for the pursuit of this trade, were far more fluid and far... Show moreTraditional histories of Early Modern trade and trade networks have ignored a potent truth -- that trade, and the networks constructed for the pursuit of this trade, were far more fluid and far more open to merchants of varying backgrounds than has heretofore been admitted. It is this idea that undergirds this work. This study shows that economic links between networks comprised of a multiplicity of ethnicities, backgrounds, and/or religions were mutually beneficial and often long-lasting by delving deeply into the networks employed by three Sephardic merchants in Amsterdam between 1595 and 1640 – Manoel Rodrigues Vega, Manoel Carvalho, and Bento Osorio. Show less
